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I started climbing when I was about 14 years old during summer camp.

One of the "cool" instructors took me out to a long cliff (about 1/2-mile long) with a 40-50 foot cliff face. We played a game where we would walk along the base with our eyes closed; where ever we would stop is where we would climb up to the top.

Then we down-climbed and repeated the "game" over and over as we made out way down the cliff.

In later years, once I started getting into climbing for real, we did girdle traverses of the long face.

emmieuk wrote:Its been a few days since i first came here and discovered the world of climbing!!

So what got me thinking was...how did you all start? Long walks as a kid? Read a book in school? What got you into this?

What were your first climbs?

Yes I am sooooo passing the time at work but it would be interesting to hear everyones stories

Reading climbing books as a kid(The White Spider) and receiving two of Rowell's books on climbing as a gift got me dreaming-Galen's photos, wow!!
Visiting the Eiger a few years back got me stoked enough to finally get off my ass and start climbing(at 44 yo)

First climbs(just last Fall!) were sport routes at the City of Rocks in Idaho. Done a few multipitch sport climbs and a trad or two(Following).
Going to do the Grand Teton in August, so that will be my first "Alpine" climb.

My first "real" climb was Chikamin Peak in the WA Cascades back in October 2007. The seed was planted there although I really didn't start climbing mountains full force until about a year and a half ago.